Monitoring of Naugautuck slaying suspect investigated
The state Office of the Child Advocate is investigating whether a Connecticut man on parole with a violent criminal history was being properly supervised and if any safety measures had been taken to protect his family before police say he dismembered his 11-month-old daughter in their Naugatuck home last month.
“All of the things that are done to mitigate the risk to the public may contribute to disharmony or risk in a household, particularly with young children,” state Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said. “We want to make sure the assessments of risk, the services provided and the monitoring of people is done in the most effective way.”
Eagan told the state’s Child Fatality Review Panel on Wednesday that she is investigating
the handling of Christopher Francisquini’s release from prison.
Francisquini was on special parole when Naugatuck police say he killed his infant daughter in their Millville Avenue home on Nov. 18. Police have an arrest warrant charging him with the infant’s death.
Francisquini has been on the run since. Local, state and federal authorities said in a news conference Thursday that they are continuing to search for him and have cast a “wide net in multiple states.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation has increased its reward to $25,000 for information that leads to Francisquini’s arrest and conviction. It has also put up billboards with Francisquini’s photo along major Connecticut highways.
Authorities urged Francisquini to turn himself in and promised that the search wouldn’t stop until he’s in custody.
“You can help us understand why this happened — it is your choice to make,” FBI Assistant Special Agent Michael Butsch said.
Christopher Francisquini was living in his parents’ home in Naugatuck with the child and her mother when the homicide occurred, Brendan Burke, of the Office of the Child Advocate, told the panel Wednesday during their regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
Burke and Eagan said their agency’s review will focus on how Francisquini was supervised after he was released from prison in June.
“This is very preliminary,” Eagan said. “We are asking for records to try and understand what supervision was in place.”
The panel reviews unexplained or unexpected circumstances of deaths involving children who have received services from the state addressing child welfare, social or human services or juvenile justice. Members can request an investigation or provide insight into matters involving the death of a child since the panel is comprised up people from various disciplines, including law enforcement, state agencies dealing with social services and pediatric physicians and medical staff.
Eagan said last week that her office is reviewing the Naugatuck child’s death and “will seek information to fully understand the monitoring and supervision of the alleged perpetrator.”
The Office of the Child Advocate will also examine how public safety organizations determine the risks and conditions related to the release of an individual with a violent felony history living with young children.
At the time of his daughter’s death, Christopher Francisquini was under house arrest, except for pre-approved appointments and his work, and was required to wear a GPS tracking device. He had been compliant with the conditions of his release until the homicide, according to the state Department of Correction and the state’s Judicial Branch, which was overseeing his monitoring while he had pending court cases.
Eagan is now seeking records from the Court Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch, the DOC and the state Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine what services were in place and whether probation officers and other providers were aware there was a young child in the home. She also wants information on whether probation officers or service providers conducted home visits, Eagan said.
“All of that matters,” she said.
“What were the methods they used to monitor and engage?” Eagan said. “Was it office and phone based or did they go into the community and into the house?”
Eagan said she is trying to determine if any safety planning is considered for children in the home when the pending charges are not specifically related to children.
Camilla Francisquini died from neck compression and stab wounds, according to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. Family and loved ones held a private funeral for her on Nov. 26.
The 11-month-old would’ve celebrated her first birthday on Saturday.
On the morning of Nov. 18, Christopher Francisquini and the child’s mother had an argument in Waterbury where he destroyed his cellphone and removed his court-ordered electronic monitoring device, Naugatuck police said. Police believe Camilla had already been killed when the dispute occurred and the child’s mother was unaware of her death at the time.
Francisquini had spent most of the previous decade behind bars for a 2012 assault that put a man in the intensive care unit for days. He was released in December 2020, and in November 2021, accumulated multiple charges in connection with a carjacking and assaulting officers while trying to escape a detention facility. These new charges violated Francisquini’s parole, so he was sent back to prison to complete the remainder of his 10-year sentence.
Once he finished the sentence, Francisquini posted a total $375,000 bond for his pending cases and was released in June.